Iaido
Iaido is the art of drawing and cutting with the Katana or Samurai Sword.Prior to the Edo Period (1600 to 1867), it was common practice for Samurai to face each other on the battle field with swords drawn. However, Tokugawa Ieyasu established his Shoganate in 1600 consolidating control under his clan, placing the seat of government in Edo and establishing the age of “Peace”. While the age of “Country at War” was over and the age of “Peace” had begun it hardly meant that combat between Samurai was over.
Instead of massed armies facing each other on the open field of battle, Samurai now faced the sudden and surprise attack of asassins, those seeking revenge or Yakuza (gangsters). Surprise attacks created new challenges for the Samurai far different from battlefield encounters. The foremost difference was that his sword was still in the scabbard when it was needed to defend or counter attack. The technique of drawing, defending and counter attacking with one continuos movement, direct in purpose, effective in execution with no wasted action was created, it was called Battojutsu, (Batto means to draw the sword and jutsu means technique or method).
During the Meiiji period (1865-1920) the class structure of Japanese society was disolved. The arts of the Samurai which had become less for life and death struggle and more for self development, were now being made available to those not previously of Samurai class. With the change from Samurai or warrior calss to commoner as a student, some of the martial arts began to have name changes. One of these was Battojuitsu, it was now called Iaido. (pronounced ee-aye-do)
The word Iaido is made by combining three kanji, the first being “I” (Iru) meaning stillness or sense of being, the next is “Ai” meaning combine or harmonize and “Do” meaning way or path. Thus it can be translated as “the path to harmonious being”, meaning that one moves from stillness to action without hesitation, with focus, purpose, precision and a sense of being in the moment.
We train Iaido as a self-development art not as a self defense art, our opponent is our self. We usually do not walk about with a sword attached to our sides, therefore the techniques of Iaido are of little use in a street defense environment. The practice of moving with focus, purposefulness and precision will however, help us in our everyday lives, no matter what our endevor may be. Through the dedicated practice of Iaido we train ourselves to always be mindful. When we learn focus, purpose and precision in one aspect of life, these virtues always find their way into the rest of our lives. Iaido is thus a great way to train mind, body and spirit.